Episode Summary
In "A Dream within a Dream" Episode 9, a multi-layered assassination plot against Nan Heng is set to unfold during the Shangyuan Lantern Festival. Nan Heng manipulates the situation by posing as the informant Li Shiliu to gain intelligence from the conspirators, Song Yimeng and Chu Guihong. After a heated debate over tactics, they settle on a plan to get Nan Heng drunk and kill him. However, the plan goes awry when an accidental discharge of Song Yimeng's hidden weapon nearly hits Nan Rui, causing chaos. Nan Heng uses the confusion to "rescue" Song Yimeng, and the episode concludes with a mysterious butterfly emerging from a river lantern, hinting at a supernatural twist.
Spoiler Alert
"A Dream within a Dream" Episode 9 Recap & Spoilers: A Festival of Plots and Misfires
The Shangyuan Festival is supposed to be a time of celebration and light, but in this episode, it becomes the backdrop for a tangled web of assassination plots, mistaken identities, and escalating tensions.Three separate factions are now in play, each with its own agenda, and their collision course is set for the crowded streets of the capital during the lantern-lit festivities.
A Tangled Web of Conspiracy
The episode opens with the key players maneuvering their pieces into place. Chu Guihong, still grieving the injury of his subordinate Rong Hua, tasks Nan Rui with digging into the Ministry of Rites' official records, suspecting foul play. Their alliance is one of convenience, built on a shared enemy.
Meanwhile, Nan Heng is playing a dangerous double game. After an explosion set by Gao Chang injures his own Qianyu Army, he's forced to suppress his anger due to his mother's involvement. His confidant, Fugui, reminds him that Song Yimeng still trusts his alter ego, the mysterious information broker Li Shiliu.
The Assassination Summit
The ruse works. Three days later, Song Yimeng heads to the Canjiang Guild Hall to meet "Li Shiliu," only to find Chu Guihong already there, confronting him. She quickly steps in to mediate, and the trio gets down to business: how to kill Nan Heng.
Song Yimeng unveils a massive, detailed chart, proposing they first lure away Nan Heng's elite Xuanjia Army guards. "Li Shiliu" (Nan Heng) suggests the Biyu River as the ideal location, given the dense holiday crowds. The plan is set: Song Yimeng will use the famed "Satin Blade technique" as bait to draw Nan Heng out, while Chu Guihong's Qianyu Army engages the Xuanjia guards.
However, the specific method of assassination becomes a point of fierce debate. Song Yimeng proposes a "beauty trap"—she will mesmerize Nan Heng with a dance during the Shangyuan Festival and kill him with a poisoned hairpin. Chu Guihong immediately shoots down the idea, fearing for her safety and honor, and accuses "Li Shiliu" of having impure motives for agreeing to it. He offers a more direct, brute-force approach, which "Li Shiliu" dismisses as amateurish, pointing out Nan Heng isn't one to be caught off guard. Amusingly, Song Yimeng chimes in that Nan Heng has "plot armor."
Ultimately, "Li Shiliu" proposes the final plan: Song Yimeng will lure Nan Heng to a painter's studio, get him drunk, and Li Shiliu himself will deliver the fatal blow.
A Prince's Predicament
Behind the scenes, Nan Heng faces his own crisis. Shangguan He reports that the reforged Qianyu Zhanyue Blade remains critically fragile. Nan Heng laments that only the "Satin Blade technique," possessed by his enemy Chu Guihong, can fix it—adding another layer to his complex motivations. To ensure the assassination plan proceeds without a hitch, Nan Heng orders Shangguan He to impersonate Li Shiliu to allay Chu Guihong's lingering suspicions.Though Song Yimeng dismisses his concerns, Chu Guihong remains wary of their new ally, while Song Yimeng confidently hints she has a secret "ace" to protect herself.
Chaos at the Lantern Festival
As the Shangyuan Festival begins, the city is alive with light and sound.Personal dramas unfold as Zhou Xueyi tries to set up her stepdaughter, Song Yiting, with Nan Rui, an effort Song Yiting deftly avoids.
The assassination plot immediately hits a snag. Song Yimeng, delayed by the massive crowds, arrives late to the painter's studio where Nan Heng is waiting. In her haste, she's tripped by Jia Ruru, and her hairpin—the concealed weapon—is snatched away. A struggle ensues, the weapon's mechanism is triggered, and a dart shoots out, narrowly missing Nan Rui but hitting his wine cup. As Nan Rui bellows, "Assassin!" Nan Heng appears in the nick of time, creating a diversion and whisking Song Yimeng away from the chaotic scene.
The Butterfly and the River Lantern
Walking through the crowded streets, both Nan Heng and Song Yimeng are lost in their own thoughts. An old woman selling river lanterns directs them toward the Biyu River, a detail that piques Song Yimeng's awareness of the "plot" unfolding. When Nan Heng tries to buy a lantern, he realizes he has no money, earning a tease from the vendor before she gives him one for free. He deems it too small and gives it to a child. As they walk away, neither notices a single, mysterious butterfly fluttering out from the lantern, a subtle hint of a supernatural force at play in their intertwined destinies.
